Entertainment

5 'Call of Duty' Alternatives You Might Enjoy More

5 Alternatives to Call of Duty

1. Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) is probably the closest you'll get to the intense modern warfare missions and gameplay of Modern Warfare 3. The third Battlefield installment takes place in Iran, Iraq, the streets of Paris and the subways of New York.

The story follows Sergeant Henry Blackburn and Dimitri Mayakovski, letting you take on several military personas including a USMC recon Marine, an M1A2 Abrams tank operator, an F-18 systems officer and a Russian SPETSNAZ GRU operative.

If you enjoy online gaming, the free Battlelog social service features built-in messaging, game stats and more.

2. Killzone 3

Military first-person shooting action meets an intergalactic sci-fi landscape in the third installment of the Killzone series. Killzone 3 picks up where its predecessor left off, which is sort of complicated if you are unfamiliar with the series.

Because Killzone 3 is published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it's available only on PlayStation 3. Presented in 3D and offering PlayStation Move support, Killzone 3 is on the cutting edge of gaming.

Characters are voiced by well-known actors Brian Cox, Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone, adding an element of familiarity and credibility. Fictional weapons, artillery, aircraft, spacecraft and landscapes add to Killzone 3's reputation as one of the most well-rounded and well-made FPS titles available.

3. Sniper: Ghost Warrior

Set on the fictional dense jungle island of Isla Trueno, Sniper: Ghost Warrior is broken into four acts with separate conflicts. You play a sniper, taking out targets from a distance or sneaking into compounds and marking targets for computer-controlled snipers. If you crave the run-and-gun pace of other military-based shooters, you can do that, too.

But where this game excels is with the snipers. You'll be using silenced pistols, knives and an assortment of sniper rifles, taking range and wind into account when shooting from a distance — much like the real thing.

4. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Developed by Ubisoft, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) this third-person shooter is the newest title in the franchise and comes with a Mature rating. You play a member of a fictional U.S. Army Special Forces outfit, the Ghosts: They're the cream of the crop when it comes to covert operations.

After a dirty bomb takes out one Ghost team, your team is tasked with finding and bringing down the culprits. The stage is set in Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and Norway, giving you a change of scenery. Forget Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility with a new feature called optical camouflage that hides you from view when stationary or moving slowly.

5. Halo: Reach

If you own an Xbox 360, then you're probably familiar with the Halo franchise. Developed by Bungie and produced by Microsoft Game Studios, Halo: Reach is the sixth installment in the Halo legacy, available only for the Xbox 360.

Halo: Reach is a futuristic, human-versus-alien first-person shooter that takes place in the year 2552. You control the elite soldier Noble Six who, along with his squad mates, take on the alien Covenant in the battle for the human world of Reach. In terms of epic sci-fi storytelling and first-person shooters, it doesn't get much better than Halo: Reach.

If you've long-since finished Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and can't quite wait for Black Ops 2, don't let yourself fall into a post-COD depression. There are plenty of great military-themed first- and third-person shooters out there that will take your mind off your fallen comrade.

Even if you stretch out your time with Modern Warfare 3 by playing it online, nothing compares to venturing out on that first campaign. Here are some ways to get that new recruit feeling back on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the PC.

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